The Helicopter Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this special solo episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider recaps his trip to European Rotors 2026 in Cologne, Germany, sharing what stood out from the show floor, the conversations he recorded with industry leaders, and the growing focus on safety and regulation across the European helicop...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this special holiday episode of The Helicopter Podcast , host Halsey Schider looks back on a year packed with industry insights, personal milestones, and unforgettable conversations. From diving into helicopter training and safety with respected experts to exploring lessons borrowed from outside aviation...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this special two-guest episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Gavin Jones and Jeff Johnson from JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Relay Service), a mission-based organization using aviation to support Bible translation in remote, unreached language groups. Gavin shares his lifelong pass...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Robyn Weisenburger, a helicopter pilot, author, and vice president of the Houston chapter of Women in Aviation International. Robyn shares her remarkable journey of pursuing her passion for aviation despite living with type 1 diabetes s...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider sits down with Jop Dingemans and Janine Lythe from Pilots Who Ask Why for a candid discussion on what’s broken—and what’s working—in today’s helicopter career pathway. They unpack the soaring cost of training in Europe, with instrument ratings n...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this special crossover episode, host Halsey Schider is joined by Jon Gray of The Hangar Z Podcast and Vertical senior correspondent Brent Bundy for a candid conversation with Ryan Weeks, President and CEO of MD Helicopters. Weeks shares how his lifelong passion for engineering and performance led him fro...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this special crossover episode, host Halsey Schider is joined by Jon Gray of The Hangar Z Podcast and Vertical senior correspondent Brent Bundy for a candid conversation with Ryan Weeks, President and CEO of MD Helicopters. Weeks shares how his lifelong passion for engineering and performance led him fro...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this two-part episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider reconnects with his longtime friend Tony Melendrez, a former colleague from their Maverick Helicopters days. Tony shares his unconventional journey into aviation, sparked by a desire to blend his firefighting family background with heli...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this two-part episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider reconnects with his longtime friend Tony Melendrez, a former colleague from their Maverick Helicopters days. Tony shares his unconventional journey into aviation, sparked by a desire to blend his firefighting family background with heli...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider chats with Kelsey Hoogendoorn, an Arizona-based aviation enthusiast and certified helicopter flight instructor (CFI/CFII). Kelsey opens up about her deep-rooted passion for helicopters, sparked during her early days as an Operations Control Spec...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Terry Palmer, a trailblazer in helicopter safety and training. Terry shares her remarkable journey from building robots for Disney and Universal Studios to becoming a pivotal figure in aviation safety. Initially a fixed-wing pilot, she...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS , in partnership with Vertical Magazine . In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider engages with Tyson Phillips, co-founder of AT Systems and a seasoned Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk pilot with a diverse background in military medevac, military air assault and firefighting. Tyson shares com...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this engaging episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Christopher Young, a seasoned helicopter pilot and executive director of the Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS). With a 20-year U.S. Navy career flying Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawks, Chris shares his journey from naval aviation...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this captivating episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Ken Wylie, an International Certified Mountain Guide and author of Buried. Unlike typical guests, Ken’s expertise lies not in aviation but in mountaineering, where he has dedicated his career to understanding human factors a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this gripping episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Lee Benson, a 2025 MHM Blades of Valor Award recipient, whose 15,000-plus hours as a helicopter pilot have left an indelible mark on the industry.  From his early days as a Vietnam War pilot at 19, Lee transitioned to commercia...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this inspiring episode of The Helicopter Podcast , host Halsey Schider welcomes Eric Robinson, recipient of the Blades of Valor Award and the driving force behind Operation Helo, a nonprofit that mobilized civilian helicopters for disaster relief during Hurricane Helene’s devastating aftermath in western...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , host Halsey Schider welcomes Clinton Burley, President and CEO of HealthNet Aeromedical Services, a cornerstone of critical care transport in West Virginia. Starting as a flight paramedic in 1986, Clinton shares his journey from 17 years of frontline clinical work...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Dr. Anita Sengupta, an aerospace engineer and founder of Hydroplane, who is revolutionizing aviation with hydrogen fuel cell propulsion. With a PhD in electric propulsion and 16 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Sengupta sh...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! Fadale, hosts of the Vertical Valor Flight Crew Podcast on the Helicast platform. Both seasoned professionals with over a decade each of air medical experience, they share exciting stories from critical medevac missions throughout their careers. They explore the vital role of crew resource management, advan...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , host Halsey Schider welcomes Jason Quinn, former U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer and host of The Real ResQ Podcast . Jason shares his journey from a high school graduate inspired by his uncle’s Coast Guard service to becoming rescue swimmer No. 500, tackling gruel...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider sits down with Daren Humphries, a seasoned helicopter pilot turned aviation insurance broker at Assured Partners. With a career spanning from flight instruction to law enforcement flying, Daren shares his journey from flying Cessnas in the Unite...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this solo episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider shares his personal journey from air medical flying to founding Sellacopter, a company revolutionizing aircraft sales. Halsey reflects on the challenges of transitioning from pilot to entrepreneur, highlighting how resilience and networking...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Kodey Bogart, a seasoned aviator whose journey spans military medevac missions to civilian instruction. Kodey shares how her passion for helicopters led to flying air medical missions, both in National Guard UH-60s in Iraq and civilian...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider sits down with Glen White, founder of Euro Safety, to explore his dynamic contributions to helicopter training and safety. Glen shares how Euro Safety delivers hands-on instruction, from private owners to large operations, using platforms like t...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider talks with Taylor English of English Air Service , a family-run helicopter operation founded in 1986 by Taylor's father. Taylor traces the company’s evolution from agricultural crop dusting to cutting-edge light detection and ranging (LIDAR...